The Will of Fire, Utterly Ridiculous

He felt that the leader of Root only knew how to rage, while as Hokage, he had to consider much more.

Kumogakure's move immediately put Konohagakure in a difficult position.

For now, Konohagakure had only two options.

One was to prepare their forces and go all out against Kumogakure.

The other was to sacrifice Hyuga Hiashi to appease Kumogakure.

Resuming the war would result in many, many deaths.

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Although Konohagakure had been severely weakened and was not as strong as before in recent years, its foundations were still there. There was a high probability of victory in a battle against Kumogakure, but the damage to its vitality was unavoidable.

Moreover, if other ninja villages attacked in unison, Konohagakure would definitely not be able to withstand it.

The most crucial point was that Kumogakure had given Konohagakure another option.

Hand over the corpse of Hyuga Hiashi.

This choice had held the Hokage and the major ninja clans hostage.

Human nature tended to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages; it was selfish.

As long as their own interests were not involved, the ninja clans in the village would not sacrifice their own flesh and blood to fight for the Hyuga clan.

The conference room fell silent. After everyone had inhaled enough second-hand smoke and Shimura Danzo's expression grew increasingly grim, Hiruzen Sarutobi finally spoke.

"The village needs to recuperate now; we cannot start another war."

As his words fell, the expressions of those in the conference room varied.

Shimura Danzo let out a cold snort, clearly showing his displeasure.

Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu sighed helplessly.

Shikaku Nara remained expressionless from beginning to end.

He understood Hiruzen Sarutobi too well.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had always sought stability throughout his life, even appearing somewhat weak and incompetent.

This decision was entirely within Shikaku Nara's expectations.

He cast a helpless glance at Hyuga Hiashi, whose face was as pale as paper, a hint of pity in his eyes.

Hiruzen Sarutobi suddenly continued, "Of course, the Hyuga clan are partners of the village, and the village will never allow its comrades to be sacrificed... This matter will be put aside for now. The village will negotiate with Kumogakure later and will certainly argue our case."

After the Third Hokage's words fell.

The entire conference room fell into a deathly silence.

Upon hearing this, a flicker of anger appeared on Hyuga Hiashi's pale face.

Hiruzen Sarutobi's statement, while seemingly protecting the Hyuga clan, had actually already made his choice.

He intended to sell himself out to quell Kumogakure's wrath.

Kumogakure valued strength above all else and was not a village that reasoned things out.

This was a consensus everyone had reached earlier.

Hoping to resolve the issue through negotiation was simply unrealistic.

Hiruzen Sarutobi saying this was merely a way to smooth things over and absolve himself of responsibility.

He was the Hokage.

If he actively prepared for war and fought Kumogakure to the death, the village would inevitably be severely weakened.

At that time, Hiruzen Sarutobi would be held accountable and might even resign again due to his mistakes.

Hiruzen Sarutobi could not openly force the Hyuga clan to hand over Hyuga Hiashi's corpse to Kumogakure, as that would tarnish the Hokage's honor.

"The Will of Fire, what a joke!!!"

Hyuga Hiashi slammed the table with a "boom" and stood up, his face cold, leaving the conference room without looking back.

Neither Mitokado Homura, nor Utatane Koharu, nor even Shimura Danzo, accused Hyuga Hiashi of his disrespectful behavior.

In fact, Shimura Danzo had guessed before the meeting that Hiruzen Sarutobi would tacitly agree to sacrifice Hyuga Hiashi, but when those words were actually spoken by Hiruzen Sarutobi, he still felt a deep sense of disappointment and sorrow.

Konohagakure was the strongest ninja village, it once was, and it still was now.

But at this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi, as Hokage, was tacitly allowing the sacrifice of a comrade in exchange for peace.

In his opinion, Hiruzen Sarutobi was old, had lost his edge, and was no longer the Hiruzen Sarutobi he once was.

As the meeting dispersed, Shimura Danzo looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi and said with disappointment, "Hizuren, our teacher sacrificed himself to protect his comrades. If it were him, he would never have made this choice."

Hiruzen Sarutobi held his pipe and slowly closed his eyes.

In his view, Danzo's eyes were blinded by temporary anger and humiliation, unable to see the bigger picture.

"Danzo, you're right about many things. Our teacher would sacrifice himself to protect us, he would never betray a comrade, but I have to do this because I don't have our teacher's skill. Do you understand?"

"Hizuren, you will regret this."

"Danzo, don't do anything rash. I am the Hokage!"

"Bang!"

"..."

Soon, Hiruzen Sarutobi was the only one left in the conference room.

He turned around, looking at the second statue on the Hokage Rock, and muttered to himself.

"One doesn't know the difficulty of things until they've experienced them!"

"Teacher, my life has been like walking on thin ice. Do you think I can reach your level?!"

Whoosh!

A white-haired ninja suddenly appeared in the conference room.

"Lord Hokage, why?"

Kakashi was an Anbu directly under Hiruzen Sarutobi and was highly valued by him.

When convening this meeting, Hiruzen Sarutobi had specifically arranged for Kakashi to listen in from the shadows.

Kakashi asked himself if he had seen enough darkness during his years of carrying out dirty missions in the Anbu, but he never imagined that Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Hokage who always spoke of the Will of Fire, would actually compromise with the unreasonable demands of Kumogakure.

"Kakashi, come, sit here."

Hiruzen Sarutobi took the pipe from the corner of his mouth, pulled Kakashi over, and pressed him into the chair he had previously occupied.

Kakashi's body stiffened, feeling somewhat flattered.

This chair was one only the Hokage could sit in.

Hiruzen Sarutobi added some tobacco leaves and said slowly.

"You are the Hokage now. You need to think like the Hokage."

"Kakashi, I ask you, if you insist on going to war with Kumogakure, after the war is over, the elders of the village will ask you for their sons, the women will ask you for their husbands, and the children will ask you for their fathers. How will you respond to them then?"

"..."

Kakashi was stunned, not knowing how to answer.

Hiruzen Sarutobi continued, "If sacrificing one person can save thousands of ninjas, as the Hokage, would you refuse?"

Kakashi closed his eyes, and the words were squeezed out of his throat one by one.

"If it were me who had to be sacrificed, I would not hesitate in the slightest."

Kakashi said these words with righteous indignation.

Hiruzen Sarutobi also firmly believed that Kakashi had the determination and resolve to sacrifice himself for peace.

"If it were my beloved teacher, my good companions, I absolutely would not allow it."

Hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi was reminded of Uchiha Obito and Nohara Rin, who died in the Third Shinobi World War, as well as the late Minato and his wife.

The successive departures of these people had plunged Kakashi into endless darkness, from which he had not yet emerged.

"If it were someone else who had to be sacrificed, I... I couldn't find a reason to refuse."

"That's right, Kakashi. You need to understand that this is already the better choice."

Kakashi remained silent for a long time, then slowly nodded.

His entire being seemed to have been drained of its spirit, leaving him listless and dispirited.

The next moment, he suddenly thought of something and asked, "Lord Hokage, what about the Will of Fire?"

Hiruzen Sarutobi's expression was not good. He turned his back to Kakashi.

"Kakashi, you are too tired. I'm giving you a month's leave. Go and rest well."

Kakashi frowned.

He was avoiding the question.

It was clear that either the Will of Fire or the sacrifice of Hyuga Hiashi was wrong.

What could he do?

He could do nothing!

Just like when his father was forced to die by those people back then.

Then, what role did Lord Hokage play in his father's death back then?

Kakashi shuddered at the thought. He shook his head wearily, "Lord Hokage, during this time, I want to take care of that child Naruto."

Hiruzen Sarutobi was silent for a moment, then nodded, "Alright, go. But remember, Naruto is first and foremost the Nine-Tails Jinchuriki, and only then Minato's son."

"I understand."